Owned by famed baseball player, manager, self-proclaimed creator of the wrap sandwich, and Stamford's own Bobby Valentine, Bobby V's has been located down the street from Pappa's in the heart of downtown since 1980.

Establishment. Operating primarily as a sports bar, Bobby V's is covered from wall to wall in baseball memorabilia highlighting the success of amateur, professional, and international ball clubs as well as the borderline mediocrity of the New York Mess Mets. Bobby's can sit large parties with ease at its priceless baseball card encrusted tables, but the shear mass of televisions and the constant streaming of sporting events can tend to draw large crowds and cramp up even the most comfortable of sports bars. The service is usually hit-or-miss, but on our visit it was both personable and prompt, making us feel more at home in a loud, rowdy bar than we've felt at some restaurants (you know who you are). The menu is very diverse and includes standard pub fare, sandwiches, wrap sandwiches, Mexican-inspired specials, pastas, and full-on dinner entrees in addition to pizza.

Pizza. Bobby V's is the smallest pizza we've seen yet, but it's certainly packed with flavors, namely that of salt. This little greaseball pie is founded on a airy, breadlike crust, shining with butter and oil that would be insubstantial if not for density of cholesterol therein. Not to be outdone, the perfectly browned cheese adds its share of lipids to the mix while carrying a unique salty flavor and oozy consistency with a tendency of slipping off the pizza altogether. The sauce was a bit underwhelming, tasting chiefly of crushed tomato with little seasoning and being rather conservatively underproportioned. Unfortunately, the sausage topping of choice amplified the greasy, salty nature of this tiny pie but was rather flavorful nonetheless. Regardless, we couldn't get past the overwhelming urge to pop a Lipitor or three after consuming this mediocre-at-best, cookie-cutter bar pie.

The bottom line. While Bobby V's inviting atmosphere is as good as the 1986 Mets, our experience with the pizza was as hilariously disappointing as the 2007 team. Order wings.

Establishment: 20/30
Pizza: 16/30
Hits the Spot: 5.0/10
Large Cheese: $7.25 (10")